LEWES, Del. - Delaware State Police have arrested a 27-year-old Philadelphia woman for a carjacking and stabbing that occurred Thursday morning in Lewes.
Police said that shortly before 6 a.m., troopers responded to the 17000 block of Valley Drive in Lewes for a reported carjacking. The investigation revealed that the 56-year-old victim remotely started her vehicle while she was inside of her home. She walked outside, opened the driver’s side car door, and placed her purse inside the vehicle. She heard the car door shut after she walked toward the vehicle’s rear hatch to retrieve an item. Police said that when the victim walked back to the driver’s side, she observed 27-year-old Justice Bowser standing by the driver’s side car door and a child seated on the passenger side.
Troopers said the victim attempted to remove Bowser when Bowser got into the car. However, Bowser stabbed the victim in the arm with an unknown object and took off in the victim’s vehicle, according to police.
At approximately 6:11 a.m., troopers observed the vehicle on Coastal Highway south of Broadkill Road and initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled from troopers. Later that morning, troopers observed the vehicle in the Middletown area and conducted a traffic stop. Bowser was successfully taken into custody without further incident. A subsequent search of Bowser revealed she had a knife in her possession, police said.
The 1-year-old child, an undisclosed relative of Bowser, was reportedly not injured during the incident. The 56-year-old victim was treated at an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Bowser was transported to Troop 7, where she was charged with the following crimes:
- First-degree assault (felony)
- Possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony (felony)
- First-degree robbery (felony)
- First-degree reckless endanger (felony)
- Theft of a motor Vehicle (felony)
- Disregarding a police officer signal (felony)
- Endangering the welfare of a child
Bowser was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court #2 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on a $191,000 cash bond.
